On May 11, Jones Walker was a sponsor of the A. Leon Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award Dinner presented by the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law held at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers in New York. The 2004 gala dinner celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision and presented the Higginbotham award to BellSouth Corporation and F. Duane Ackerman in recognition of exemplary corporate leadership with respect to the advancement of equal opportunity, particularly leadership in recruiting, retaining, and promoting minorities. In attendance were Jones Walker lawyers David Radlauer,Edward Bergin and Patrick Vance.

The A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. Corporate Leadership Award recognizes exemplary corporate citizenship with respect to America’s ongoing civil rights challenges and is presented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. The Lawyers’ Committee was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist private attorneys and law firms in civil rights law enforcement. For forty years, the Lawyers’ Committee has advanced equal opportunity through highly effective and comprehensive programs designed to promote educational opportunities, fair employment, housing and community development, environmental health and justice, and meaningful civic participation for racial and ethnic minorities.